Today we celebrate the life Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who was passionate about nonviolence.

At the heart of the gun debate is a desire by both sides to find a way to address the ills of a culture that is obsessed with violence.

I repeat today what Dr. King said in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech: “I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the ‘isness’ of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal ‘oughtness’ that forever confronts him.”

Instead of despairing and saying that more guns is the only response to stopping gun violence, we need to listen to all sides and reach for the “oughtness” of human nature that says we can find a peaceful solution to this crisis.

Let us work together to make our society safe by keeping these weapons out of the hands of people who would commit such horrific crimes.

Let us work toward fostering an environment of acceptance where students do not feel so alienated that they would want to revert to violence against their peers.

Adam Sands, Dallas

Kids learn it from us

Times have changed. We are a nation that has progressed toward the future positively.

We have a black president and racism is on its way out with our parents’ and grandparents’ generation, right?

I have taken pride in raising my children to know no difference outwardly of others. God tells us we are all precious in his sight. Our differences are measured in our values, morals and attitude.

I took my daughter to the Carrollton library this week, and while I searched for a book, my daughter befriended a little boy and they started playing.

When it was time to leave, my daughter asked me what the word meant that the little boy called her. I was shocked. A 5-year-old boy was introducing my daughter to a world that I had thought was almost obsolete.

After explaining that she should pray for him and that he wasn’t being a nice boy, my heart just broke. Why are we passing this hatred to our children?

I also would like to make it clear that our family is white, and I understand how discrimination feels.